Birth of the Sith - Part One: The Dark Order
by teej.318
Summary: Part One of the main trilogy of Birth of the Sith. This takes place 15 years after the prologue and approximately nine years after Recruitment. Solin Malice and his apprentice Keira Port are sent to serve as negotiators to end a feud between Ord Mantell and Malastare. But, the threat is greater than they could have expected.
1. Failed Negotiations

_It has been 15 years since Vulcan Gunner was expelled from the Jedi Order. True to his word, Solin Malice has not had contact with his best friend in all of that time._

 _A growing dispute between Vulcan's home planet of Ord Mantell and the distant planet Malastare has caused tensions between the two worlds. The debate over taxing routes has culminated in a blockade by Malastare over Ord Mantell._

 _The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic has dispatched Solin, now a Jedi Knight, and his apprentice, Keira Port, to settle the conflict and bring a peaceful resolution. But the threat is greater than either of them could have expected…._

* * *

Tosan approached his master's quarters. Though he had been told not to disturb the Dark Lord, he knew his master would want to hear this news. He took a deep breath, terrified of his master lashing out at being interrupted while meditating before he tapped on the door.

"Enter," came his master's low voice immediately.

Tosan breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the doors into his master's chambers. The room was dark and decrepit, a sign of the Dark Side of the Force completely taking over his master. Tosan walked the long length of the room before he reached the center, where his master sat on a chair with his hood raised.

"Yes?" Lord Nacluv demanded without preamble.

"My Lord, it appears the Jedi Solin Malice and his apprentice are being sent to negotiate an end to the blockade," Tosan said nervously. He watched as his master's lips curled into a smile. It was the only part of his master's face he could see; the hood hid the rest of it.

"Good," said his master in a satisfied tone. "He will be a worthy adversary for you, my young apprentice."

"Are you saying the time has come to reveal ourselves, Master?"

"Yesssssss," Nacluv hissed. "Our time is now, Tosan."

Tosan smiled, his face lit up in excitement.

"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi and the Republic," he mused. "At last you can have your revenge on the Jedi."

"You have been well trained, my young apprentice. The Jedi will be no match for you. Now, go to General Nute's flagship. Await my orders from there."

"Yes, my master," Tosan said, bowing low before turning to leave the room.

* * *

The Republic cruiser blasted out of hyperspace and into the atmosphere of Ord Mantell. Solin Malice looked around at the sea of ships surrounding the planet, cutting off all take-offs and landings on the planet below. Ordinarily, Ord Mantell would be a sight to behold, but with the blockade around it, the planet was unrecognizable.

"Captain." said Solin bluntly.

"Yes, sir?" the captain asked.

"Inform the general we wish to board at once."

The captain nodded at Solin and pressed a button to contact General Nute's ship. In an instant, the screen above the captain and co-pilot turned on and Solin had his first look at General Nute. Despite his army blockading a planet with force, General Nute looked frightened beyond his wits.

"With all due respect for the Army of Malastare, the ambassadors to the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately," said the captain.

"Yes, of course," replied General Nute in a voice that masked his terror. "As you know, our blockade of Ord Mantell is perfectly legal. We would be happy to receive the ambassadors."

With that, the screen turned off and the captain steered the ship toward General Nute's command ship. She landed the ship safely in the hanger of the command ship.

"Stay here until further notice," Solin said and he and Keira left the cockpit.

"Yes, sir," the captain replied.

As soon as the ramp was lowered, Solin and Keira walked down it, their hoods masking their faces. A man dressed similarly to General Nute, but with a lower rank insignia on his uniform, stood waiting below. He did not speak until the Jedi had left the ramp.

"I am Lieutenant Naver Silas at your service," said the man in a tough-sounding voice. Solin could sense the fear in this man, but like Nute, he tried to hide it. "This way, ambassadors."

Solin and Keira followed Silas in silence. He led them out of the hanger and down a hallway before a door opened. The Jedi followed Silas into the conference room, where a large table sat in the room. Silas paused as Solin and Keira walked past him.

"We are greatly honored by your visit, ambassadors," Silas grunted. "Make yourselves comfortable. General Nute will be with you shortly."

With that, Silas bowed curtly before turning and leaving the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Solin and Keira turned around and finally lowered their hoods.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Keira said, shaking some of her blue and black hair out of her face as she adjusted to having her hood off.

"Why is that, Keira?" Solin asked.

"I can sense the presence of the Dark Side of the Force, Master," Keira replied. "But I can't place its source."

Solin nodded and smiled at his apprentice, pleased with her senses. "Yes, I can feel it, too. But it's not strong enough for me to sense where it's coming from either. We must be ever vigilant if someone using the Dark Side is on board this ship."

"What can we expect from General Nute, Master?"

"I sense he is a coward," Solin answered. Keira nodded in agreement. "I could sense the fear in him when he spoke to us on the ship. I expect these negotiations to be short."

"Will we succeed?"

"That all depends on how willing Nute is to negotiate. Now, we should await for his arrival. I am going to meditate to see if I can piece together where the taint of the Dark Side is coming from."

"Yes, Master," Keira said, taking a seat at the table while Solin sat down on the ground and closed his eyes, concentrating and losing himself in the Force.

* * *

"What?" Nute demanded of Silas, who had just reported back from letting the ambassadors wait in the conference room. They stood on the bridge of Nute's ship, which was crawling with several guards and officers. Captain Plutt and Tosan Inte stood with them.

"The ambassadors are Jedi Knights, sir, I am sure of it," Silas replied.

Nute turned to Tosan, whose face was covered by the mask he often wore; Nute had never seen Tosan without the mask.

"You were right, Tosan!" Nute exclaimed.

"Of course I was right, Fool," Tosan replied in the robotic voice of his mask that hid his true tone. Nute shivered slightly at hearing Tosan speak. "Do you honestly think my Master and I would have incorrect information?"

"No, I trust you and Lord Nacluv, but now that there are actually Jedi here, we must act quickly." Nute turned to Silas. "Lieutenant, I will need you to distract the Jedi while I contact Lord Nacluv and inform him of the situation."

Silas scoffed at Nute. "Are you brain dead, General?" he said in an exasperated tone. "I'm not going back in there with two Jedi! Send Tosan."

Nute turned to speak with Tosan, but stopped when he noticed Silas seemed to be struggling to breathe. He looked at Silas questioningly, but his lieutenant did not speak, but looked as if he were choking. Nute turned to Tosan, who had a hand raised and was staring at Silas.

"You will follow the General's orders, Lieutenant," Tosan snarled.

"Tosan!" Nute exclaimed, but Tosan ignored him.

"You will go and placate the Jedi or you will feel the wrath of my Master," Tosan demanded. "Lord Nacluv is not as forgiving as I am, Lieutenant Silas."

With that, Tosan lowered his hand and Silas gasped for air, massaging his throat. He spent the next several seconds catching his breath again before giving Tosan a dirty look.

"Fine, I will go and keep the Jedi distracted," he said. "I can't believe you just tried to kill me."

"Be glad it wasn't my master you angered," Tosan replied with a hint of warning in his tone.

* * *

Keira paced around the room, thinking quietly to herself. Her blue Jedi robes swished around her as she walked around the room, trying her best to place the source of the Dark Side of the Force she sensed. She turned and started walking toward the table again when she saw Solin's eyes snap open suddenly. She stopped her pacing.

"Did you find the source, Master?" she asked, sounding slightly worried.

Solin shook his head. "No, but Lieutenant Silas is on his way back. I'd better get off the floor so he doesn't get suspicious."

Solin stood up and hurried over to the table. Keira mimicked him, and they had both sat back down as the door open and Lt. Silas walked into the room, carrying a tray of drinks. He offered a cup to Solin first.

"No, thank you," he said kindly.

Silas did not say anything, but merely nodded. He walked over to Keira and offered her Solin's unused cup.

"Thank you," she said, taking the cup and drinking a sip.

Silas nodded wordlessly before standing against the wall, holding the tray, as if waiting for some sort of unseen command. Solin narrowed his eyes at him, but did not sense any immediate danger.

* * *

General Nute took a deep breath before he pressed the button to contact Lord Nacluv via hologram. He always hated speaking to Lord Nacluv, who never failed to make Nute nervous, even if he were light years away in the galaxy. That's why he had ordered Captain Plutt to deliver the message. If it came from Plutt rather than him, perhaps he wouldn't be punished too severely, Nute thought.

Within a few moments, a hologram of Lord Nacluv appeared. While they could see the lower half of his face, everything above his nose was concealed by his hood. Every time Nute had spoken to Nacluv, he had never seen the other man's face in is entirety.

"What is it?" Nacluv demanded, sounding annoyed.

"This game of yours has failed, Lord Nacluv," Plutt replied, his nervousness creeping into his tone. General Nute had to refrain from shaking his head in annoyance. "The ambassadors are Jedi Knights, we're sure of it. The blockade is finished. We dare not go against two Jedi."

To Nute's surprise, Lord Nacluv smiled before he spoke.

"You seem more fearful of the Jedi than you are of angering me, Captain Plutt. I am amused," Nacluv said. He then looked toward Nute. "General!"

General Nute swallowed nervously as he stepped forward.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"I don't want this foolish slime in my sight again!" Nacluv snarled.

Nute turned and glared at Captain Plutt, who lowered his head in shame and walked away from the bridge. Nute then turned back to face Nacluv.

"This turn of events, while not unexpected, is unfortunate," Nacluv continued as if nothing had happened. "We must accelerate our plans, General. Begin landing your troops."

" _Invasion?_ " General Nute thought. " _Surely not!"_

"My Lord, is that legal?" Nute asked, hoping that Nacluv did not sense his thoughts.

"I will make it legal with the help of Governor Surik," Nacluv replied simply.

" _Well that answers that question. But…"_

"And the Jedi?"

"The Chancellor should never have brought them into this. But, you are not equipped to handle two Jedi, General. My apprentice shall handle them."

At that, Tosan stepped forward and bowed before his master.

"Tosan, you will have to use the full command of the Dark Side in order to defeat the Jedi," Nacluv warned. Tosan noted that his master did not sound angry, but eager. "Kill them if you can, and if you do, you will have certainly proved yourself as my worthy apprentice. But be mindful, Tosan. And let the Jedi make the first move."

"Yes, my master," Tosan replied before the hologram of Nacluv faded.

* * *

Solin stood up suddenly in the conference room, reaching for his lightsaber.

"Master?" asked Keira, also reaching for her lightsaber.

"The Dark Side of the Force is stronger than ever," Solin explained. "I can feel it now radiating through the crew of this ship. I think this means General Nute means to destroy us. We must leave quickly and get to the bridge."

At that, Silas tossed the tray of drinks down and kicked it aside as he pulled out his blaster, looking angry.

"You'll go nowhere, Jedi," he snarled. "You are here under false pretenses with no plan of negotiating with General Nute. You will come with me now."

Before Silas could react, Solin waved his free hand, causing the blaster to fly out of Silas' hands. Silas looked shocked until Solin waved his hand again and spoke in a trance-like voice.

"You will not report that we are Jedi," he said.

"I will not report that you are Jedi," Silas replied in a flat tone.

"You will return to the bridge and resume your duties, forgetting you saw us."

"I will return to the bridge and resume my duties, forgetting I saw you."

With that, Silas bent down and retrieved his blaster, leaving the room as if nothing had happened. As he did, Solin nodded and Keira and the two followed Silas closely, making sure they remained out of sight from the crew of the ship. Just outside of the bridge, they heard Silas speaking to someone.

"I'm returning to my post as you requested, General," Silas said in the same flat tone.

"What are you talking about, you fool?" demanded a man who Solin guessed was General Zhanga Nute, the leader of the Malastarian Army. "I never told you to return to your post! You were supposed to keep the Jedi distracted!"

At that, Solin motioned for Keira to follow him and the two walked onto the bridge. General Nute glanced over at them and his eyes widened in shock. Before Nute could do anything, Solin held up his hand and waved it again.

"You will not tell anyone we were here," Solin said.

"I will not tell anyone you were here," Nute repeated.

"You will let us leave this ship in peace."

"I will let you leave the ship in peace."

Solin lowered his hand and smiled triumphantly as a man dressed in all black clothing with a mask concealing his face approached the General and slapped him.

"You fool!" the man shouted. "They were using a Jedi Mind Trick on you!"

The man then turned to face Solin and Keira and ignited a blood-red lightsaber.

"So, you're the reason we could sense the Dark Side of the Force," Solin said as he and Keira ignited their lightsabers. "And who are you?"

"I am Tosan Inte, a Sith Lord!" Tosan exclaimed.

"What are you talking about, Sith Lord? There is no such thing." Keira demanded.

"Oh yes there is, Jedi! We are the most powerful of all the practicers of the Dark Side of the Force. Our leader, my Master, founded the Order of the Sith Lords more than a decade ago following his leaving the Jedi and embracing the Dark Side! You two foolish Jedi will be no match for me!"

With that, Tosan leapt toward Solin and Keira and made to attack them. Solin managed to block his attack and pushed Tosan away as Keira attempted a counterattack, which Tosan managed to dodge.

It was the fiercest lightsaber duel Solin had ever fought in. Tosan seemed to be able to sense his and Keira's every move and managed to counter them, and his attack's were more ferocious than Solin had ever encountered during his many missions.

As the three of them clashed around the bridge, they managed to knock over every officer they walked beside, but even that didn't slow them. In particular, Tosan seemed incapable of wearing down, having drawn on the Dark Side of the Force to give him an advantage. However, Tosan was unprepared for Keira's fierceness as a dueler. Solin had always prized himself on selecting an apprentice who could handily defeat him in lightsaber combat, but who was also exceptionally powerful in the Force. Keira demonstrated that in this duel; her combat skills were so quick and efficient that Solin could sense a tremble of fear building up in Tosan as they continued to duel.

Suddenly, Keira was able to change tactics. She saw an opening as Tosan blocked an attack from Solin and drew back, holding onto his lightsaber with just one hand. Before Tosan could react, Keira managed to land a kick on his hand, sending his lightsaber flying.

Solin added to this by waving his hand at Tosan and sending a powerful Force push in his direction. Tosan flew backward, unable to recover from Keira's stunning kick and landed hard on the ground. Solin and Keira rushed up to him, prepared to hold him at their mercy. But before they reached him, Tosan laughed as he leapt up and shot Force Lightning at the two.

"You fools are no match for the power of the Dark Side!" Tosan exclaimed as the lightning reached Solin and Keira, who both reacted quickly and held up their lightsabers to block the onslaught of lightning. They strained against the power of the Force Lightning, but were able to slow close in on Tosan, deflected the lightning back to him.

Tosan strained against Solin and Keira's blocks. He was able to prevent the lightning from hitting him instead, but it was proving more and more difficult as they got closer to him. He started to scream from the stress of holding off the attack and could feel himself weakening. Tosan called on the Dark Side to help him, but it was to no avail.

Suddenly, there was a powerful Force wave just as the Jedi were standing mere feet from Tosan. The wave sent Solin and Keira stumbling backward and forced Tosan to his knees. Tosan felt pain beyond pain, but it was easier to call on the Dark Side now that his concentration on attacking the Jedi was broken.

Immediately, Solin and Keira rushed up to Tosan, holding their lightsabers in front of them. Tosan simply snarled at them as his mind started to clear.

"What do you mean when you call yourself a Sith Lord?" Solin demanded. "Who is your master?"

Rather than answer, Tosan instead laughed coldly as he started to stand up. Solin and Keira kept their lightsabers trained on him as he got to his feet, still laughing.

"Don't worry, Solin Malice," Tosan said and, the Jedi's eyes widened in shock. Solin and Keira glanced at each other, shocked at the revelation that Tosan knew Solin by name. "You already know who my Master is. You and he have met, long ago. Soon, you will meet again!"

With that, Tosan waved his hands at Solin and Keira, using their distraction from his words to his advantage and Force pushing them away from him. He also managed to send the rest of the crew to the floor, knocking them all unconscious. Smiling, Tosan turned and left the bridge, running as fast as he could.

It was several minutes before Solin and Keira regained consciousness; the fall against the wall had knocked them out cold. They both stumbled as they stood up, holding onto the wall for balance.

"Are you all right?" Solin demanded as he shut his eyes and tried to center himself.

"I'm fine, are you OK?" Keira replied.

Solin nodded. "I just need a moment to readjust," he said, his eyes still closed. For a few moments, Solin seemed to fade away as he lost himself in the Force. When he was recovered, he opened his eyes again.

"What did he mean, a Sith?" Keira repeated. "What is that?"

"It's got to be some sort of Dark Jedi clan or organization," Solin replied. "He was well-trained in the Jedi Arts and clearly a practicer of the Dark Side. We'll have to report this to the Jedi Council when we return to Coruscant. For now, we'd better concentrate on getting off this ship and get down to the planet. The negotiations were obviously never going to take place."

Suddenly, there was a beeping sound at one of the consoles. Keira ran over to it and pressed a button.

"What is it?" Solin asked.

"An escape pod as just launched. It's got to be that Tosan person escaping. The trajectory of the escape pod says he was heading for the planet."

"In that case, we'd better be prepared to confront him again soon."

Keira nodded as Solin turned and motioned for him to follow her. Together, they hurried off the bridge and ran toward the hanger they had arrived in. Keira hesitated as they reached one of the neighboring hangers, something having her caught her eye. She stopped and peered into that hangar, her eyes widening in shock.

"Master!" she called. Solin stopped in his tracks and turned around, looking at her quizzically. "You'd better come have a look at this."

Solin sighed and hurried over to Keira. When he reached her, Keira simply pointed into the hanger. Inside, Solin saw thousands of troops loading into assault tanks.

"Troopers," Keira said simply.

"It's an invasion army," Solin finished for her, deducing what Keira had already figured out. "This just got a lot more serious. We've got to warn King Mobbs and get him off the planet as quickly as we can. We've also got to try and contact the Chancellor. Let's hurry back to the ship and get down there. We must hurry."


	2. Crash Landing

General Nute shook himself into consciousness, the pain from his fall still making his body sore. He looked around the bridge. All of his command staff were starting to recover. He looked over at the command consoles and saw Captain Plutt taking assessment of what had happened since they were unconscious. General Nute walked over to Plutt, attempting to shake off the pain.

"Status report, Captain," Nute said in a tired voice.

"Yes, sir," said Captain Plutt as he worked the console. He pressed a handful of buttons before answering. "A single escape pod has been jettisoned. That must have been Tosan leaving the ship, sir, because all of the crew is accounted for. The Republic Cruiser has just exited the hanger and is making an attempt to land on the planet."

"Fire on that ship at once, Captain!"

* * *

The Republic Cruiser started to fumble as laser bolts erupted all around it. Solin and Keira had to hold onto the wall of the cockpit in order to keep their footing.

"We're under attack, sir!" the pilot exclaimed. "Shall I attempt to retreat?"

"No, we must do everything in our power to land on Ord Mantell!" Solin shouted back. "We've got to get King Mobbs off the planet as soon as possible. Keep flying, Captain!"

"Yes, sir!"

The pilot returned to the ship's controls. She yelled for the shields to be put up to their full power, but her co-pilot told her the shields had been damaged as soon as they were hit by the barrage of laser bolts. She nodded wordlessly at him and instead focused on dodging the attacks.

Solin was impressed with the pilot's abilities. Had she been a Jedi, she would have been formidable in space combat, he noted. He was about to compliment her when a particularly nasty shake of the ship caused him and Keira to fall to the ground and an alarm to start blaring.

"What's happened?" demanded Keira as she got back to her feet with difficulty.

"The starboard engine has been destroyed!" the pilot groaned. "I've lost control of the starboard side of the ship! It's still flyable, but it will be difficult to land."

"Do your best!" Solin shouted back.

"I will, sir!"

The pilot then manhandled the ship as laser bolts continued to fly around it. Impressively, the pilot was able to navigate the ship enough to avoid any more hits before entering Ord Mantell's atmosphere, where the laser bolts stopped firing on the ship. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except for the pilot.

"Sir, it's going to be a rough landing!" she exclaimed. "I don't know if we'll all make it out of here alive. With the starboard engine gone, landing's gonna be much harder!"

"May the Force be with us," Solin muttered. "Do what you can for us, Captain."

"Yes, sir! It's been an honor serving with you, Master Jedi!"

With that, the pilot resumed her attempt to land the ship as safely as possible. This was no easy feat as the ship rocked violently as she lowered it and it seemed incapable of slowing down. As they got closer to the ground, they were able to see the Ord Mantell Royal Palace in the distance, but had no time to admire its beauty. Finally, the pilot flicked a switch, which shut down all of the ship's power in an attempt to slow it down.

"Brace yourselves!" she shouted.

Solin and Keira glanced at one another and nodded before they shut their eyes and lost themselves in the Force. Seconds later, they heard a large crashing sound as the ship made contact with the ground and erupted in an explosion. They felt themselves flying away from the ship and lost consciousness before they could react.

* * *

Tosan pressed the button to send a message to his master. While he waited, he kneeled in front of the communicator. Within seconds, he sensed his master's presence flicker onto the screen.

"Rise, my apprentice," Lord Nacluv said.

Tosan obeyed the request and looked at his master, whose face was hidden beneath his hood as it always was.

"You have news?" Nacluv demanded.

"My Lord, I was unable to kill the Jedi, but I was able to subdue them in order to escape the ship before they could do anything to me," Tosan said in a flat tone.

"I see," Nacluv replied. Tosan was surprised to not hear anger in his master's tone. "Yet I sense you were injured in your confrontation with the Jedi. What happened?"

"The Apprentice is a worthy lightsaber opponent. She was able to kick my weapon away when I had attacked her master. I tried to attack them with the Dark Side, but they were too much for me. I don't know what happened, Master, but a powerful Force wave erupted when they approached me."

Lord Nacluv considered this for a moment before replying.

"Solin has indeed grown strong in the Force during our time apart," he mused. "If what you described to me is true, he must've used the Force to block that lightning attack and the power was greater than either of you expected, which is why it erupted in the wave."

"Forgive me, Master," Tosan said in shame, lowering his head.

"Luckily for you, my young apprentice, there is nothing to forgive," Nacluv said. "I should have known sending you against two Jedi on your own was foolish. But no matter, no matter. I shall deal with the Jedi myself. It's high time Solin and I have our reunion. I have waited a long time for it."

Tosan looked up at Nacluv, who looked amused.

"What do you need me to do, Master?"

"Resume your public role, Tosan," Nacluv replied. "For now, leave the Jedi to me. I shall contact you if I require anything from you, but rest assured that I will arrive at the Royal Palace soon to handle Solin and his apprentice. No doubt that's where they've gone if they weren't killed in that ship General Nute was able to fire upon. Now go, Tosan. You will need to play your part well in order for our plans to succeed."

"Yes, my Master," Tosan said, taking a knee again as the hologram of Nacluv faded.


	3. Reunion

Keira woke with a start. Her head was pounding and her body ached all over. Yet, she sensed that she was not severely injured. She squinted, but couldn't see anyone in her line of sight. Keira took a breath before she forced herself to stand up, her head aching even more.

"Are you all right?" came Solin's voice from her left. Keira turned and saw Solin stretching his arm. He had a small cut on his head from the landing.

"Master!" Keira exclaimed. "I'm fine. A little sore and I've got a headache, but I'll live."

"Center yourself, Keira," Solin said with an air of concern in his tone. "You might be concussed."

"OK," Keira replied, shutting her eyes for a moment. She focused on simply breathing and letting the Force heal her body and mind. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again and her surroundings were clearer and her mind was focused. Scattered ship parts lay around the area where she and Solin had awakened. Some of it was up in flames. There was no sign of anyone else.

"What happened to the others?" Keira asked.

Solin shook his head, looking sad. "Nobody else survived the crash. Had we not been Jedi and able to use the Force to soften the blow, we wouldn't be standing here either. It's a wonder we're in such good shape as we are."

"Are you OK, Master?"

"I'll be fine," Solin said. "I cut off the bleeding on this wound and I don't think it's anything serious. I'm pretty sore, too, but I don't think there will be any permanent damage. Now, we must leave and get to the Ord Mantell Royal Palace."

Keira nodded and followed Solin away from the wreckage. They had crashed into a field that wasn't too far from the palace; they could make out the castle a short distance away. As they hurried through the field, Keira couldn't help but be relieved they didn't see the bodies of anyone else who was on the ship.

Once inside the city limits, Solin looked around for some place to get information. He stopped Keira when he spotted a cantina.

"Let's go in there," he said pointing at the cantina. "There's bound to be somebody in there who knows how to get access to the palace."

"Yes, Master," Keira replied, following Solin into the cantina. It was full of several citizens of Ord Mantell. Keira was thankful to see nobody wearing the insignia of Malastare in the cantina.

Together, Solin and Keira approached the bar. As Solin ordered drinks, Keira glanced around, looking for somebody she thought could lead them to the palace. Just to her right, she spotted two Rodians approaching a young woman dressed in a magenta outfit with her hair pulled back into a bun. Keira could see the woman was armed with both a blaster and some sort of staff that was shortened and hanging from her utility belt.

Solin handed Keira a drink and Keira motioned at the young woman, who they heard speak.

"I told you to leave me alone," the woman said irritably to the two Rodians. "So why don't you do us all a favor and just leave me?"

"Little girl needs to learn respect!" said one Rodian in his native language.

"We will teach you a lesson!" added the other.

As the two Rodians approached the young woman, Solin walked up to them, waving his hand. Keira glanced at the bar and saw he had set his drink down on it.

"You will leave this young woman alone," he said, casting a Jedi Mind Trick on the Rodians.

"We will leave this young woman alone," the Rodians repeated.

"You will go home and rethink your lives."

"We will go home and rethink our lives."

With that, the two Rodians walked off, looking as if they were in a trance. Once they had cleared away, Solin turned to the young woman, who was smiling.

"I appreciate your help there, Master Jedi," she said kindly. "I certainly could have taken them on myself, but I don't want to bring the palace a bad name."

"The Palace?" asked Keira, who had also walked up to the woman.

"Yes, the Royal House of Ord Mantell. I am one of the guards assigned to the palace. Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ngema Resor."

"It's a pleasure, Ngema," said Solin. "I am Solin Malice, Jedi Knight, and this is my apprentice, Keira Port.

"We're here on a mission from the Supreme Chancellor," Keira added. "You said you're a guard at the Royal Palace?"

"That's right," said Ngema, nodding. "I take it you two need some help getting into the palace?"

"Are we so transparent?" asked Solin.

Ngema grinned at him. "I just have a feeling you two are here to get into the palace and you're looking for help. It's a good thing we ran into each other here."

"Can you get us inside, Ngema?" Keira asked.

"Yes, of course I can. It's probably best if you're escorted into the palace. The only people they're letting in or out right now are palace officials. The Malastarian Army has dispatched several guards to the palace to make sure nobody unauthorized gets in or out without clearing it with them first. But since you're with me, you'll have a better chance of getting inside."

"They might want to block us when they see we're Jedi," Solin pointed out.

"Good point," said Ngema, nodding. "Well at any rate, I can get you there faster than on your own. Shall we go now?"

"Yes, it is a matter of some urgency," said Solin.

"All right then. Follow me, Master Jedi."

Solin and Keira followed Ngema out of the cantina and back onto the streets of Ord Mantell. She led them quickly through the streets, pulling her staff from her belt, but not yet opening it to its full length. Within moments, they were approaching the gates to the palace. Several guards stood outside the palace, most of them carrying blasters. Solin and Keira noticed there were also men dressed in black cloaks and guessed they were likely Dark Jedi.

Ngema led them to the guard standing in the center of the gate. When they reached him, the guard help up a hand.

"Halt!" he commanded.

"I am a guard in the Royal Palace and I request entry into the Palace," Ngema said in a bored voice.

"We can let you in, young one, but who are your friends here?"

"I'm an ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor and I request entry into the palace as well," said Solin in a commanding voice.

"The Supreme Chancellor?" asked the guard, sounding amused. "The Chancellor has no authority here."

"Actually, he does," Solin retorted, but in a pleasant tone. "Despite the legality of Ord Mantell's blockade, the planet is still bound by the laws of the Republic."

Before the guard could answer, one of the cloaked men approached them. Solin could sense the power of the Dark Side in this man and noticed he had a lightsaber hanging on his belt.

"Let me handle this, Sergeant," said the man. "Tosan Inte and Lord Nacluv were most disappointed that you were able to escape General Nute's flagship alive. They have promised a great reward to any Sith who is able to kill you."

As the Sith Lord made to attack Solin, Solin ignited his lightsaber and blocked the attack while Keira made to counterattack. Ngema also opened her staff and managed to land a hit on the Sith. Suddenly, they were surrounded by a group of half a dozen armed Dark Jedi. The three of them split up and began taking on two Sith at a time. The guards nearby began to open fire.

Solin managed to handle the two Sith on his own with ease. Within moments, he had managed to strike them down and turned to assist Ngema, seeing Keira had already moved on to the shooting guards. To his surprise, Ngema had also moved on to the shooting guards, the other two Sith lying on the ground, motionless. In seconds, the three of the them had dispatched every guard in the area and had managed to avoid getting hit. Solin and Keira deactivated their lightsabers, but kept them held.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Keira asked, impressed with Ngema's abilities.

"All palace guards received specialized training before being admitted for duty," Ngema explained. "I had also trained in self-defense for years before I joined the guard. I modified my staff to have cortosis protection. That's why it's able to block lightsaber attacks and blaster bolts. I also use my blaster, but only if I'm handling adversaries from a distance."

"That's very impressive, Ngema," Solin said, giving her a warm smile. "You certainly live up to your potential. Now then, can we expect any more resistance in the palace?"

Ngema shook her head. "So far, no. The guards have only been stationed outside the palace. We should be all right until we reach the throne room."

"Then lead the way, if you please. We have no time to spare."

Ngema nodded and motioned for Solin and Keira to follow her. They entered the palace with ease, not noticing a hooded figure watching them from a distance.

* * *

"The invasion is on schedule, My Lord," said General Nute, happy to report good news for once.

"General Surik has the Senate bogged down in procedures," Lord Nacluv replied. "They will have no choice but to accept your control of Ord Mantell."

"My Lord, what of King Mobbs? It will be difficult to convince him to sign any treaty to legitimize our occupation."

Nacluv smiled slightly. "It is good to see you using your head for a change, General. However, you need not worry. King Mobbs is young and naive. You will find controlling him will not be difficult."

"And My Lord, about the Jedi…"

"I will handle the Jedi, General," Nacluv said shortly. "I have arrived at the Ord Mantell Palace and I will confront the Jedi before they are able to escape the planet. I shall keep you informed."

"Yes, my Lord," said Nute, bowing slightly as the hologram of Nacluv faded.

* * *

"Here we are," Ngema said, pressing a button outside a large set of doors, which opened quickly. Solin had a look around the palace as they hurried inside and was barely able to appreciate its beauty. It was a luxurious room with wide open space. In the center of the room, King Mobbs sat in his chair, surrounded by an entourage that included guards and planet leaders. Mobbs was dressed in elegant red robes and looked rather annoyed. Ngema led Solin and Keira into the room and stood aside as Solin and Keira bowed in front of Mobbs.

"Your majesty, my name is Solin Malice and I'm the ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor," Solin said. "This is my apprentice, Keira Port."

King Mobbs' face softened slightly at Solin's introduction.

"Please tell me your negotiations were successful, Master Jedi," he pleaded.

"I'm afraid the negotiations never took place," Solin replied. "Malastare had no intention of negotiating the terms of the blockade. But that doesn't matter. We must evacuate you off the planet, King Mobbs. Malastare intends to start an invasion of this planet if they haven't already."

"And where will you be taking us, Jedi?" demanded one of the guards who had a scar across his face from a slash. The guard sounded irritated.

"My primary bodyguard, Captain Menousek, Master Jedi," King Mobbs said as an introduction.

"We will travel to the Capital planet, Coruscant, Captain," replied Solin. "From there, King Mobbs can testify in the Senate to what has happened here and the Senate can take further action. But we must hurry if we are to get off the planet before this city is invaded."

"And what of my people?" Mobbs demanded. "Am I too leave the planet and leave them to suffer?"

Before Solin could respond, Keira spoke up in a kind tone.

"I understand your concern, Your Majesty, and I admire your dedication to your people, but consider the alternative. If you are left on this planet and taken hostage by the Army of Malastare, you could be killed or otherwise stripped from power, and then Ord Mantell would be in the hands of Malastare, who could instill whomever they like into your role, thus effectively enslaving the people of this planet. But if you go with us and testify in the Senate, this can be resolved with diplomacy."

King Mobbs considered Keira for several seconds before he nodded.

"You are well spoken, young woman," he said. "I can hear the truth in your words. I, along with Captain Menousek, Ngema and my closest aides will go with you to Coruscant. I will leave control of the planet in the hands of the governors in my absence." At that, he stood up, as did his entire entourage. Mobbs walked behind his chair as he spoke. "I will need all governors to remain on the planet protecting our people to the best of your abilities. I shall return to the planet as quickly as I can."

The governors bowed to King Mobbs before they sat back down as King Mobbs emerged from behind his throne room chair, holstering his blaster that he had retrieved from behind the chair.

"Do you have a transport, Your Majesty?" Solin asked.

"I do. Captain Menousek and Ngema can you lead you to the main hanger."

"Follow me, master Jedi," said Captain Menousek, who sounded much more pleasant now that he had his blaster in his hand.

Captain Menousek and Ngema led Solin, Keira, King Mobbs and the entourage toward the throne room doors. Just before they reached it, however, the doors opened. They stopped walking as they saw a hooded figure standing on the other side of the door. The figure looked up and lowered his hood. Solin's eyes widened in shock as he saw a face he hadn't seen in more than a decade.

"Vulcan?" Solin gasped, staring at his old friend. Vulcan had dyed a part of his hair red and Solin could see a lightsaber hanging from his belt. He could also sense something different about his friend, but couldn't quite place what it was.

"Hello, old friend," Vulcan said with a dark smile. "How nice to see you again. But I ask that you don't call me 'Vulcan' anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Solin demanded.

Vulcan laughed, but it wasn't the laugh Solin remembered. It was cold, devoid of any emotion.

"I am no longer Vulcan Gunner, Solin. I am Lord Nacluv, the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Solin's eyes widened even more at this new revelation. Vulcan laughed callously.

"You mean you've fallen to the Dark Side?"

"I did not 'fall,' Solin, I merely embraced the potential of the Dark Side and I've unlocked new secrets about the great mystery of the Force!"

"So you threw away everything you once stood for!"

"I can see it's useless trying to convince you what's really happened since we last parted, old friend. You're bound by the Jedi Code, of course, a foolish and outdated code. But enough chatter now, Solin, and to business! As I'm sure you've deduced by now, I am behind the events of the blockade and the pending invasion by Malastare. I have my own goals for doing this, but I don't need to bother you with the details. Here's what I need from you, Solin: I need you to let me take the King and his entourage so I can complete my goals."

"You ought to know me well enough to know that's not happening, Vulcan," Solin snarled, reaching for his lightsaber. He could see Keira doing the same out of the corner of his eye.

"How unfortunate, Solin. I have no desire to hurt you, but if you refuse my request, I will have no choice. I'll give you one more chance to surrender the King to me."

Solin said nothing and instead waited, centering himself in the Force.

"Very well then, old friend. I'm afraid I'll have to take care of you and your apprentice," Nacluv said as he drew his lightsaber and ignited it. Solin had a quick glance of the hilt and saw it was his original training lightsaber he had given Vulcan as a gift when he parted. Solin lit his lightsaber and quickly blocked Nacluv's attack and Keira made to counterattack, which Nacluv was able to block before Solin and he locked blades and Solin pushed Nacluv back. Meanwhile, King Mobbs and his entourage hurried away from the duel as it started to grow in intensity.

For several minutes, the three of them dueled with ferocity. If Solin thought the confrontation with Tosan had been difficult, it was nothing compared to this one. Though he still knew most of Nacluv's favorite moves by heart, Solin found it difficult to gain an upper hand in the battle, even with Keira's help. Nacluv relied heavily on the Dark Side of the Force in order to maintain his stamina and seemed incapable of wearing down, just as Tosan had; it was clear he had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

As they dueled, Solin attempted to reach out with the Force, a difficult task considering the duel required most of his he was able to tap into Nacluv's mind, he sensed little of his old friend. Rather, he had been replaced by this dark figured dueling him and Keira. Solin shook off his shock, trying to gain an advantage in the fight.

Before Solin could react, Nacluv managed to push him away following a particularly nasty block. Keira then hurried forward and began to unleash an attack of her own against Nacluv as Solin recovered. Keira was completely lost in the battle, her mind focused solely on her next move and Nacluv's. Her lightsaber seemed to move in sync with her mind, able to sense Nacluv's attacks and counterattack attempts. Nacluv suddenly seemed to be taken aback by the fury of Keira's dueling abilities and started to back away as she advanced.

Solin rejoined the duel and started to attack Nacluv again, his goal in the duel unclear even to him. With Nacluv distracted by Solin's new attacks, Keira was able to kick the lightsaber out of his hand and Force push Nacluv away from them. Nacluv took a second to recover before he started laughing.

"You've trained your apprentice well, Solin," he said. "And you've certainly proved yourself a worthy opponent of the Dark Lord of the Sith. But, I'm afraid we're out of time, old friend."

"You're not going anywhere, Vulcan!" Solin yelled, starting to advance on Nacluv.

"Not to worry, Solin, we'll meet again soon!" Nacluv shouted before he raised his hand and sent a powerful Force wave through the room. It was powerful enough to send Solin and Keira to their feet and stunning them, and knocking King Mobbs and his entourage to the floor. It took Solin and Keira a few moments to recover, but when they did, there was no sign of Nacluv. The Jedi deactivated their lightsabers.

"Vulcan!" Solin exclaimed, his face white with shock. "How could he betray everything he stood for as a Jedi and turn to the Dark Side?"

"I don't know, Master," Keira said soothingly. "I can't believe it myself. I heard stories about Vulcan during my youngling days, and the masters always warned us we were as vulnerable as him to to the Dark Side, but I never thought he'd have fallen so far." She shook her head. "But we can't just dwell on this. What do we do, master?"

Solin ignored her for a moment, staring at the spot he had last seen Nacluv, thinking hard to himself. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Master?" prompted Keira.

"Huh?" said Solin, coming out of his trance. "I'm sorry, Keira. I just can't believe it. But you're right, we must move on. We've got to get off this planet as quickly as possible."

"Then follow us, Master Jedi," said Ngema, who had approached them along with the rest of King Mobbs' entourage unnoticed. "We'll get you safely to the hanger and off the planet."


	4. Through the Blockade

Just as the doors to the hanger opened, King Mobbs approached Solin and Keira.

"How can we get past the blockade?" he asked. "It will be near impossible to get through it without my ship suffering damage."

"My apprentice will handle that, Your Majesty," Solin replied. "She is well-versed in a Force skill known as Battle Meditation. She will use the Force to inspire the pilot of your ship, while at the same time weakening the will of the blockade. As long as Keira maintains her concentration, we should be able to successfully get through the blockade without taking much damage."

King Mobbs nodded. "I will trust your judgment in that matter," he said as they reached the golden royal starship. The ramp was lowered and King Mobbs led his entourage onto the ship, leaving Ngema behind with Solin and Keira.

"Who's the pilot of this ship?" Solin asked.

"That would be Captain Young Senih," said Ngema. "He'll have gone ahead with the rest of the entourage. I'll take you to the cockpit and you can get acquainted with him."

Solin and Keira followed Ngema up the ramp and into the ship. They didn't have time to admire the luxury of the ship as they hurried into the cockpit as most of King Mobbs' entourage made its way to the ship's throne room. Meanwhile, a handful of officers took their positions in the ship, including three gunners. In moments, they had reached the cockpit, where a man was starting up the ship.

"Captain Senih, I presume," said Solin.

"That's right, Jedi," Senih replied, not looking up from his controls. "I hope you're right and we're able to get through that blockade. Flying is hard enough without someone shooting at you."

"What kind of defenses does the ship have?" asked Solin.

"We have some shields, but they won't stand up long against a barrage of laser bolts from the blockade. We also have those three gunners on standby. They can't do any damage against the bigger ships, but if we have any small one-man fighters coming after us, they'll be able to dispatch of them easily."

"That will do," Solin said.

At that, the ship was fully powered on and Captain Senih sat down in his seat. Another man, who Solin had not seen enter the cockpit, sat down in the seat next to him and started to press some buttons to prepare for flight. In moments, the ship had lifted off the hanger ground and floated toward the hanger's exit.

Just outside the hanger, Solin looked toward the capital city of Ord Mantell as the ship flew over it. He could see hundreds of transports descending on the city and thousands of soldiers marching in the streets.

"Malastare has begun the invasion," Solin said. "We're getting out just in time."

"What will happen to those advisers who stayed behind?" Ngema asked. "Will they be able to handle an invading army?"

"Malastare won't try anything too drastic until the Senate legitimizes its occupation of Ord Mantell," Solin said. "While the blockade is within Malastare's rights, a full-scale invasion is not. They will have to answer to the Senate for that and if they try anything, they would have the might of the Republic coming after them."

"I hate to break up the cozy discussion of politics, but we're about to head toward the edge of the planet and into the blockade," said Captain Senih. "If I were you, Jedi, I'd get ready to start defending us with that power you mentioned earlier."

"I can handle it myself, thanks," Keira said, sounding rather annoyed.

"Be mindful, Keira," said Solin in a warning tone. "Don't let your confidence in your abilities get the better of you."

"Yes, Master," Keira replied, still sounding annoyed, but she instead sat down at the back of the cockpit, crossing her legs and shutting her eyes.

In moments, they had left Ord Mantell's atmosphere and found themselves in space. Solin had a second look at the Malastare blockade. From this angle, it appeared to Solin to be endless. He shook off that thought and instead tried to center himself in the Force in order to assist Keira if needed.

"There's the blockade," Captain Senih said as they approached the sea of ships. No sooner had he said it that General Nute's flagship started to fire on the Royal Starship. Some of the laser bolts hit the ship, but thanks to the shields, did not cause any damage. The starship rocked violently as the laser bolts came close, but none of them were able to make contact with the ship. Solin glanced over at Keira and was pleased to see her engulfed in her concentration.

As the starship got closer to the blockade, fewer of the laser bolts hit the ship. It was as if the laser bolts firing were being misdirected away from the Royal Starship before they could reach their target. The crew was also aware that Malastare was not sending smaller ships after it to attack it up close..

"Whatever she's doing, make sure she keeps doing it!" Captain Senih. "It's gotten a whole lot easier to get through this blockade with them missing us like this!"

"Keep concentrating, Keira!" Solin yelled over his shoulder. He was happy Keira did not respond verbally.

Several minutes passed and the firing from the blockade continued to miss the ship. Once Captain Senih had piloted the ship over the top of the command ship, the firing stopped abruptly. He kept glancing at his screen, making sure nobody was coming after them. Soon, they were out of range of both the blockade and Ord Mantell's orbit.

"We're all clear!" Senih exclaimed. "Nobody followed us and they can't hit us from this distance. Standby for lightspeed!"

Senih and his co-pilot spent several seconds calculating the coordinates for the jump to hyperspace. As they did, Solin turned around and saw Keira opened her eyes and stand up.

"Well done," Solin said as Keira walked back over to him.

"That was amazing!" Ngema added, sounding excited.

Keira grinned. "Thanks, Ngema! I appreciate that. It's no easy feat getting through a battle like that, even with full concentration, so I'm always happy to get out of them without any damage."

At that, the ship jumped into hyperspace. Captain Senih and his co-pilot then put the ship into auto-pilot mode before Captain Senih turned around in his seat and faced Solin, Keira and Ngema for the first time.

"Heck of a job, kid," he said to Keira. "I'm amazed you were able to get us through that blockade without getting damaged."

He turned back around just as Keira made to slap him across the head. Before she could, Solin grabbed her arm and lightly pushed it out of the way.

"Keira, you know better than that," he said, sounding annoyed. "Please at least _act_ like you're a Jedi."

"Fine," Keira grumbled as Ngema giggled.

Solin shook his head as he spoke. "Well, enough of that. We should go and tell King Mobbs that we made it past the blockade and are bound for Coruscant."

"I'll take you to his throne room," Ngema said. Solin and Keira followed her out of the room. The throne room was a couple of hundred feet from the cockpit. Ngema opened the door and motioned for Solin and Keira to follow. Solin noted how the throne room was set up nearly identically to the throne room back in the palace. The only part missing was the entourage of advisers and governors who had remained behind on Ord Mantell.

"Your Majesty," Solin said as he and Keira bowed and Ngema took her spot in the room. "I have good news: We were able to get through the blockade successfully thanks to Keira's Battle Meditation and Captain Senih and his co-pilot's extraordinary flying skills."

"Thank you for a job well done, young Keira," King Mobbs said, giving her what she thought was one of his rare smiles. "I'm glad you were able to get us through the blockade safely."

"The ship has entered hyperspace and we should reach Coruscant in a matter of hours," said Solin. "I wonder, though, your Majesty, if Keira and I could have a private word with you for a moment?"

King Mobbs nodded and turned to his entourage. "Please give us a moment, everyone. I will let you know when to return."

King Mobbs' entourage obeyed wordlessly. Ngema, though, hesitated, looking over at Solin for guidance. He motioned for her to go as well and Ngema nodded at him before following the rest of the group out of the room.

"What is this about, Master Jedi?" asked King Mobbs, sounding concerned.

"Well, first, I wanted to let you know I saw the Army of Malastare starting to descend upon the capital city as we were departing. That means Malastare has begun its invasion."

King Mobbs sighed. "I suppose it's a good thing that we were able to get out of there so quickly," he said, shaking his head slightly. "But you could've told me that in front of my staff. Is there something else, Master Solin?"

"Yes, it's about your guard Ngema Resor," said Solin. He ignored the quizzical look that Keira gave him. "I must say that she has extraordinary abilities, Your Majesty. She proved herself capable of handling her own against Dark Jedi. That's certainly no easy feat for anyone, especially someone who is not a trained Jedi."

"I thank you for that, Master Solin," King Mobbs said, sounding confused. "But I still don't know if I see why you called this private meeting."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I merely wanted to inform you that when she was battling the Dark Jedi and other guards outside of the palace, I sensed a powerful awakening of the Force within Ngema."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that she is capable of using the Force and becoming a Jedi," Solin said, causing King Mobbs' eyes to widen slightly in shock. "She doesn't know it yet, but she is strong in the Force. There was no mistaking that when I sensed it in her."

"So, what do you ask of me, Master Solin?"

"With your permission, Your Majesty, I should like to have Ngema report to the Jedi Council when we are on Coruscant. Such Force Sensitivity ought to be enough to merit training for someone as gifted as Ngema. I would like your blessing to allow the Jedi Council to test Ngema's abilities to see if she would be worthy of Jedi training."

King Mobbs considered Solin for a few moments. Solin and Keira waited patiently, though Keira could sense the tension building in Solin. Finally, King Mobbs nodded.

"If you think Ngema is well-suited to be a Jedi, then you have my blessing," he said. "While it would be shame to lose her abilities in the Ord Mantell Royal House, becoming a Jedi would mean a great future for Ngema. There's nothing more I can ask for from somebody who is dedicated to serving her people as Negma is."

"Thank you, King Mobbs," Solin said as he bowed. Keira bowed, too. "I shall let you inform her of this matter, and to leave you in peace for our journey to Coruscant."

With that, Solin and Keira turned and left the throne room. They nodded at King Mobbs' entourage, which had lined up outside the doors, waiting to be readmitted. Once they were out of earshot, Keira turned to Solin.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"What?"

"About Ngema! Why didn't you tell me you could sense the Force in her, too?"

"Too?" said Solin, sounding impressed. "Are you saying you could sense it in her, Keira?"

"Oh come on, Master," Keira replied. "I'd have to be blind and deaf to the Force to have _not_ sensed it! I didn't want to say anything because I know it's not my place to point that out, but it felt odd keeping that to myself."

"Well, I'm proud of you for sensing Ngema's abilities, Keira," said Solin. "They tells me you are listening to the Force, which is one of the final main hurdles for you to overcome in your training with me. I think this means you might be ready to complete your training."

"Really?" asked Keira, sounding excited.

"Of course, that is ultimately up to the Jedi Council, but I am prepared to recommend you for Knighthood as soon as this mission is over."

Keira beamed as Solin smiled at her, feeling prouder than he ever had in his life.


	5. Arrival on Coruscant

The Royal Starship entered Coruscant's atmosphere. The planet's large city was crawling with ships and other transports as it always did.

"It seems a lifetime since we've soon home," Solin mused as he watched the Capitol landing platform get closer. "Though in truth it's only been a few weeks since we began our last mission."

"It will be good to center ourselves away from the conflict at Ord Mantell," Keira added.

"We should report to the Jedi Council as soon as we can, Keira, and update them on the situation."

"What do you think their next move will be, Master?"

"I can't say for sure, but I know they'll want to find out more information about Vulcan and these so-called Sith."

The Royal Starship then landed on the platform and Captain Senih powered down the engines. Solin glanced out of the window and could see Chancellor Von Croy and Senator Jear of Ord Mantell waiting for them along with an entourage of Senate guards. He and Keira hurried from the cockpit and to the ramp, which lowered as soon as they reached it. They did not exit the ship until they saw King Mobbs, Captain Menousek and Ngema exit the throne room.

"Welcome to Coruscant, Your Majesty," Solin said as they started to walk down the ramp. "Have you ever had the chance to visit?"

"Not in many years," King Mobbs replied. "And certainly long before I started to serve Ord Mantell."

Solin and Keira led King Mobbs and his two guards toward the Chancellor and Senator. When they reached them, the Jedi took a bow as a sign of greeting. Chancellor Von Croy and Senator Jear nodded at them in return. Solin and Keira then stood aside to let King Mobbs step forward.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty," said Senator Jear. "Ever since Master Solin sent us word about the invasion beginning, we've been worried about your safety, even after you got past the blockade. May I present Supreme Chancellor Von Croy?"

"Welcome, King Mobbs," Chancellor Von Croy said in his booming voice. "It's an honor to meet in you person, despite the unfortunate circumstances."

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor," said King Mobbs as he started to follow Chancellor Von Croy and Senator Jear down the platform and to a transport.

"I must say, I am troubled by the events happening on your planet," Von Croy said. "I have called for a special session of the Senate to hear your testimony in the matter."

"I'm grateful for your concern, Chancellor."

At that, Chancellor Von Croy stopped following King Mobbs and Senator Jear and remained behind with Solin and Keira as the rest of King Mobbs' entourage kept walking toward the transport. Chancellor Von Croy turned to Solin.

"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately, Chancellor," Solin said. "I'm afraid the situation has become much more complicated.

"I understand, Master Solin," Von Croy replied. "I thank you for traveling to Ord Mantell and for getting King Mobbs here safely. Do what your must, Master Jedi."

"Thank you, Chancellor."

* * *

Solin and Keira stood in the center of the Jedi Council chambers. Solin was giving his report on the events of their mission.

"The person who called himself Tosan then revealed he was a Sith Lord," Solin explained. "He wouldn't tell us what that was, but it was clear to us that it was some sort of Dark Jedi cult. We had a short duel before Keira was able to subdue him. We held him at lightsaber and demanded to know who is master was. He didn't say, but said we would find out soon."

"And did you learn who Tosan's master is, Solin?" asked Sabe, who had hardly aged in the years between Solin's training and Knighthood.

"I'm afraid so, Master," Solin replied. "Once we had arrived on Ord Mantell and informed King Mobbs of the pending invasion, we were confronted by Tosan's master. And I'm sorry to say that it was Vulcan Gunner."

At this revelation, several members of the Council gasped and glanced at one another.

"You're absolutely sure it was Vulcan, Solin?" Sabe asked.

"I'm certain, Master. He even called me by name when I spoke to him. He asked me not to call him that and he is now...forgive me, Master, the name escapes me."

"I believe he said it was Lord Nacluv, Master Organa," Keira said.

"Yes, that sounds correct," said Solin. "Well, Vulcan, or Nacluv now, asked if we would surrender custody of King Mobbs to him. I told him he ought to know me well enough to know that was not going to happen. That's when we had a lightsaber duel with him. We were unable to gain an advantage over him before he decided to escape. He managed to send us to the ground with a powerful wave of the Force and escaped. I have no idea of his present whereabouts, but he did promise that we would meet again."

The council members kept looking at each other, silently communicating their thoughts on Solin's report and this new revelation. Finally, Master Liam Park, the head of the Council, spoke up.

"Thank you for your report, Solin," he said. "You and Keira did well in getting King Mobbs back here safely before the invasion began. Keira, I must give you praise for such a powerful display of Battle Meditation. We could sense it being used from here."

"Thank you, Master Park," Keira said, bowing her head slightly.

"As far as Vulcan Gunner, we will use all of our resources to unravel what's happened to him in his exile. We will discover what's happened to him and figure out what exactly this cult of Sith is and what their plans are, if any. May the Force be with you."

At that, Keira bowed respectfully and made to leave. She stopped when she heard Sabe speak and saw Solin was still standing in the center of the room.

"Solin, do you have more to say?" Sabe asked.

"With your permission, my Master," Solin replied. Sabe nodded, inviting him to continue. "We have encountered a vergence in the Force."

"A vergence, you say?" said Sabe. "Is it located around a person?"

"Ngema Resor, one of the guards of the Ord Mantell Royal Palace. She is trained in combat due to her role in the palace and she had spent years doing training of her own. During our confrontation with several Dark Jedi outside of the palace, she was able to dispatch two Dark Jedi on her own before moving on to the other guards. I was able to sense her mind and it was clear to me the Force was working through her. She is extremely Force Sensitive and in my opinion, it's something of a miracle her abilities were not discovered at an early age."

"And what would you like from us, Solin?" asked Master Park.

"I request Ngema be tested, Master."

"You think she should be trained as a Jedi?" Sabe asked.

"Finding her was the will of the Force, Master. I have no doubt of that."

"Very well," said Master Park. "Bring this young Ngema before us and we will test her abilities. If they are as strong as you suggest, we will recommend her for training."

"Thank you, Master," Solin said, bowing and walking toward Keira. Together, they two left the council chambers and waited for the doors to close before they spoke.

"What do you think will happen?" Keira asked.

"Well, they at least heard me out on requesting testing for Ngema," Solin replied. "I hope that she is able to pass the tests and be approved for training. We could certainly use someone who her abilities in the Jedi Order."

"And what about Vulcan?"

"That one will be trickier. I don't know how the Council plans to investigate his claims when they have nothing to go on. They don't even know if he has a base of operations or how many of these Sith exist. For all we know, it could just be Vulcan and Tosan or there could be an entire Sith Order that we don't know about."

"What do you think they'll do about it if they find anything?"

"They'll probably task us with handling it," said Solin. "Of all the Jedi in the Order, I'm the one who knows Vulcan the best, so they would probably use that to their advantage. If they do assign me to handle Vulcan, will you go with me?"

"Of course, Master," Keira replied. "I'll always have your back. Anything you need, I'll do whatever I can to help."

* * *

King Mobbs sat on a cushion in the office of Senator Nvled Jear. The Senator had given up more than half of his quarters and office for the King to use during his visit. The office was luxurious and overlooked a large portion of Coruscant, including the nearby Senate Hall and the Jedi Temple. Hundreds of ships flew by the office, none of them paying any attention to the intense conversation happening inside.

"What options do we have?" asked King Mobbs.

"Our best choice would be for you to testify to what has happened since the blockade begun," replied Senator Jear, who was pacing the room around the cushion were King Mobbs was sitting. Captain Menousek stood next to the cushion, while the other aides stood around the room in various spots, listening to the conversation. "Once the Senate has heard firsthand from you, it will be able to take diplomatic action against Malastare."

"What if the Senate took further action against Malastare? Say, something that involved a militaristic response."

"Your Majesty?" said Senator Jear, stopping in his footsteps and looking at King Mobbs with a confused expression.

"What if I were to suggest the Senate vote to create an Army of the Republic to counter the threat posed by Malastare?"

Senator Jear took a deep breath as he digested this question. He looked uneasy.

"I understand the threat posed by Malastare, Your Majesty, but a military response could be seen as excessive."

"I hear you, Senator, I do, but consider this: Dark Jedi have revealed themselves to be associated with Malastare. There could be an army of Dark Jedi we don't know about and this conflict could extend to other planets before the Republic could act. Wouldn't it be better to take action now rather than wait and be taken by surprise?"

Senator Jear considered King Mobbs for several seconds before he nodded.

"I can certainly agree that Dark Jedi being involved in this conflict could make it that harder to resolve. If you believe creating an Army of the Republic would help solve the problem as quickly as possible, then you have my full support in the Senate, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Senator," King Mobbs said. "I assure you, this is not something I take likely. I just don't want to see other planets suffer as our planet has in this conflict."

Senator Jear nodded, but did not respond.


	6. Plea to the Senate

Chancellor Von Croy stood up at his podium in the center of the Senate Chamber. Hundreds of pods filled the chamber like a sea. The pods each contained Senators, Representatives and Governors representing each planet in the Republic. Though some of the planets had representatives and governors as their respective leaders, tradition had long held that the governing body be known as The Senate.

"The Chair recognizes the senator from the sovereign system of Ord Mantell," Von Croy said.

At that, Senator Jear stood up in the pod and pressed a button for it to float toward the center of the chamber. King Mobbs sat in the pod along with Captain Menousek; King Mobbs was dressed in black robes, symbolizing the great sorrow he felt with his request.

"Supreme Chancellor and delegates of the Senate," said Senator Jear in a booming voice that echoed throughout the chamber. "A tragedy has occurred, which started here with the taxation trade routes and has now engulfed our entire planet with the oppression by the Army of Malastare."

"This is outrageous!" exclaimed a representative on another pod, which had started to float toward the center of the chamber. "I object to the Senator's statements!"

"The Chair does not recognize the Governor of Malastare at this time!" Von Croy replied. "You will wait until the Senator from Ord Mantell has had his chance to speak!"

Governor Surik of Malastare relented, but did not return his pod to its place. It floated in place near the Chancellor's pod.

"To state our allegations, I present King Hatt Mobbs, recently elected Ruler of Ord Mantell, who speaks on our behalf," said Senator Jear.

With that, Senator Jear stood to the side as King Mobbs stood up and walked toward the front of the pod. Several of the Representatives spoke excitedly to each other, wondering what King Mobbs was going to say. King Mobbs spoke in the same booming tone as Senator Jear.

"Honorable representatives of the Republic, I come to you under the gravest of circumstances," he said somberly, but with command. "The Ord Mantell system has been invaded by the Army of Malastare. The only reason I am here to address you now is that I was able to escape from my planet before the army invaded the capital city."

"I object!" interrupted Governor Surik. "There is no proof!"

"Governor Surik, one more outburst like that and you be removed from this session," Von Croy retorted, sounding angry. "And you know full well that the report from the Jedi Council supports King Mobbs' assertions about Malastare invading Ord Mantell, an action I might add, is illegal without a treaty signed by King Mobbs. You may continue, King Mobbs."

"I come before the Senate with a humble plea: While I would prefer diplomatic action to end this conflict to ensure a peaceful resolution, I do not believe this is possible, Senators. As the report from the Jedi Order will confirm, there is involvement by Dark Jedi in the blockade and invasion of Ord Mantell. Because of this, I am recommending the Senate vote to create a Grand Army of the Republic." At this, several Senators started speaking in protest, but King Mobbs spoke over them. "I understand your concerns, Senators, I do. And know that I do not ask this of you lightly; it took everything for me to make this request of the Senate. But because of the great threat posed by Dark Jedi, it is my request that the Senate create a Grand Army of the Republic to counter the great threat."

King Mobbs stopped speaking, but the outbursts from representatives continued. Some of them cheered in support while others yelled against King Mobbs. After several moments of the incoherent shouting, one of Chancellor Von Croy's aides stood up.

"ORDER!" he called. As soon as he did, the noise subsided quickly. Chancellor Von Croy then spoke to King Mobbs, but he was loud enough to be heard by the full Senate.

"Thank you for your testimony, King Mobbs," he said. "I understand the nature of your request, but it is one so large that it requires a full discussion and debate by the Senate. Rest assured that I will call for a special session of the Senate to vote on this matter. For now, the Senate is adjourned."


	7. Return to Ord Mantell

Solin and Keira stood before the Jedi Council was again. A day had passed since King Mobbs spoke to the Senate.. Solin felt that the mood of the Council was somewhat somber, but maybe that was because he had never appeared before the Council at night.

"Well, Solin, your feelings were correct about Ngema," Sabe said, looking pleased. "She passed our tests with superior results. We are prepared to offer our recommendation for her to enter the Jedi Order, but first, we would like a Jedi Master to accompany her and observe her defensive skills in person. For that, we are sending Master Elocin Trahkrik with you as you finish the next phase of your mission."

At that, Elocin stood up and walked over to Solin and Keira, nodding at them silently before she turned around and faced the Council with Solin and Keira.

"As I'm sure you know, Solin, the Senate is voting on whether to create an Army of the Republic," said Master Park. "But, King Mobbs has decided to take matters into his own hands and return home to retake Ord Mantell and wipe out the Army of Malastare from his planet. This will put pressure on Malastare and could widen their confrontation."

"And draw out Vulcan Gunner so he can take action," added Sabe.

"Go with the King to Ord Mantell and prepare to confront Vulcan Gunner once again," Master Park ordered. Solin nodded at him. "This could be the clue we need to unravel the mystery of his fall and these so-called Sith."

"May the Force be with you," said Sabe.

* * *

Solin, Keira and Elocin bowed before they turned and left the council chambers.

On the landing platform, Solin walked up to Ngema with Elocin as King Mobbs' entourage prepared to board the ship.

"Ngema, I'd like to introduce you to Master Elocin Trahkrik of the Jedi Council," Solin said when they reached Ngema.

"Hello there, Master," Ngema said, shaking Elocin's hand. "I remember you from my appearance in front of the Council, but I don't think you spoke when I was tested."

"Quite right," Elocin replied. "I was observing you through the Force. I must say you are exceptionally talented based on what I could sense."

"Thank you for that, Master."

"Now, I will be traveling with you, Master Solin and Keira as we return to Ord Mantell to assist the King in retaking his planet. I am going merely as an observer. Solin tells me you have strong defensive abilities, and the Jedi Council would like me to see them for myself before we accept you for training."

"Er….all right," said Ngema, sounding uncertain. "Is there anything I need to do?"

"No, no," replied Elocin kindly. "Just simply act as you normally would when we arrive on Ord Mantell and I will be able to determine your abilities through observation."

"All right then. Shall we get on board?"

"Yes, please, lead the way."

Ngema led Elocin and Keira up the ramp as Solin remained behind to greet King Mobbs, who approached him along with Captain Menousek. Solin bowed slightly at King Mobbs before he started walking with him toward the ramp of the Royal Starship.

"Your Majesty, it is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you," Solin said. "And now we have the help of Jedi Master Elocin Trahkrik of the Jedi Council to assist us."

"I welcome your help," King Mobbs replied as they walked up the ramp. "Chancellor Von Croy and Senator Jear both fear that the Army of Malastare seeks to destroy me."

"I assure you I will not allow that to happen."

* * *

King Mobbs sat on his chair in the throne room of the Royal Starship. His entourage and the Jedi all stood around him, debating what they were going to do when they arrived back on Ord Mantell.

"As soon as we land, the Army of Malastare will arrest you and force you to sign a treaty to legitimize the invasion," said Captain Menousek with an air of anger in his tone. "I don't know what you wish to accomplish by returning."

"I will take back what's ours," King Mobbs replied shortly.

"There are too few of us, Your Majesty. We have no army."

"If I may, King Mobbs," said Elocin, standing forward slightly. "There may be a way for us to have an advantage going into battle."

"If you have any ideas, Master Jedi, I am all ears."

Elocin nodded. "I believe the best way for us to ensure any hope of victory is for Keira to remain here on the ship and use her Battle Meditation to aid us. As I'm sure you know, her Battle Meditation was able to get you through the blockade unscathed, so having it on our side when we enter the palace would be extremely helpful. With a Jedi Master and a Jedi Knight in the group defending you, the Army of Malastare would be overwhelmed and with Keira assisting us with her Battle Meditation, it would give us an edge in our attempt to liberate Ord Mantell."

King Mobbs considered Elocin for a moment before he nodded.

"Thank you for your suggestion, Master Jedi. I think that would be our best chance of retaking the Palace. We will settle on that and work on formulating the rest of the battle plan. Master Solin, would you mind sending Captain Senih here, and if you could, handle the piloting of the ship while we work out the battle plans?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Solin said with a slight bow. "Keira and I will handle piloting the ship."

* * *

General Nute sat in the throne room of the Ord Mantell Royal Palace. Lieutenant Silas stood to his side while Captain Plutt stood guard by the door. He was just considering leaving for the night when a hologram of Lord Nacluv suddenly appeared.

"Yes, My Lord?" Nute said, feeling the usual tingle of fear shiver down his spine.

"General, you must prepare for battle," Nacluv replied with an air of urgency. "I have just received word that King Mobbs is returning to Ord Mantell and will attempt to retake the palace from your control."

"My Lord, we shouldn't worry about a small entourage of people attempting to retake the palace," said General Nute with confidence. "There is no way they will be able to push back against the guards, and…"

At that, General Nute stopped speaking as he started to choke. He was gasping for air as Nacluv had a hand raised in a choking gesture. When Nacluv spoke, he sounded angrier than Nute had ever heard.

"You idiot!" Nacluv snarled. "You underestimate King Mobbs and his entourage. Not only are the escaped Jedi coming with him, they now have a senior member of the Jedi Council with them!"

Nacluv suddenly released his chokehold on Nute with the Force. Nute massaged his neck for several seconds before he spoke.

"A Jedi Master?" he said, barely able to conceal his fear.

"Yes, you fool. And that is why I am returning to the palace, so I can handle the Jedi."

"You're coming here, My Lord?"

"That's right," Nacluv growled. "And you had better make sure your troops are prepared for battle by the time I arrive, or you will suffer more of my displeasure."

The hologram faded. General Nute took a few moments to massage his neck before he turned to Lieutenant Silas, who could hear the worry in Nute's voice.

"Prepare the troops for attack," he ordered. "We will need as many of our forces on the ground as possible if there's a Jedi Master in the midst."


	8. The Battle of Ord Mantell

The Royal Ship exited hyperspace and Solin got his first look at Ord Mantell since the invasion began. He was slightly surprised to see the blockade no longer surrounding the planet. Instead, he saw the planet in its full glory; it looked much bigger than it had with the ships crowding it.

"I have one battleship on my scope, Master," Keira reported, looking at her computer screen. Solin glanced at it as Captain Senih sat down in his pilot's seat to land the ship on Ord Mantell.

"It looks like General Nute's command ship," Solin replied.

"They've probably spotted us," said Captain Senih.

"If that's true, then we haven't got much time," Solin said.

Captain Senih flew the ship into the atmosphere of Ord Mantell, headed toward the Capital City. He landed the ship on the outskirts of the Royal Palace. Solin was surprised nobody had shot at the ship in an attempt to down it; he wondered if this meant their arrival was expected. Once the ship had powered down, Solin led Keira and Captain Senih into the throne room, where King Mobbs his entourage and Elocin were gathered, all prepared for the pending battle. Most notable was the King himself, dressed in a red battle suit that looked as if it hadn't seen much action in quite some time.

"Ah, Master Solin, we've just gone over the battle plan and finalized it," said King Mobbs as Solin, Keira and Captain Senih entered the room. "We're ready whenever you are, but I was wondering if you had any words of encouragement for us since our numbers are so small."

"I can do that," Solin replied, looking around at the group, which consisted of just about a dozen people. "Well, the odds may be against us, but we have something the Army of Malastare doesn't have: hope. Hope will get us through this battle and whatever consequences come from it. But there is something you must remember about hope; it's something my old master used to remind me of: 'Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night.'"

At that, most of King Mobbs' entourage cheered loudly, fired up by Solin's words. Even King Mobbs looked more comfortable with his decision to return to Ord Mantell to liberate his planet.

"Thank you for those words, Master Solin. I certainly have hope for us. Now then, let's get off this planet and get to the palace."

King Mobbs led his entourage from the throne room, along with Elocin. Solin stayed behind with Keira for a moment.

"Don't come into the battle unless you can sense you have no other choice," Solin cautioned. "We'll need you to use your Battle Meditation for as long as possible."

"Yes, Master," Keira replied, sitting down in King Mobbs' chair and folding her legs. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Keira," Solin said as Keira closed her eyes, crossed her legs and started to float in mid-air above the chair as if she were losing herself in the Force. With that, Solin hurried from the throne room and down the ramp, joining Elocin, King Mobbs and the others.

The group made its way toward the palace, not encountering any soliders of the Army of Malastare. This confirmed Solin's suspicions that their arrival was expected and that the Army planned to fight them in the palace. He couldn't yet sense Vulcan, but he could sense the presence of the Dark Side.

When they reached a side entrance to the palace, they saw several armed guards standing outside of it, waiting for them. On King Mobbs' signal, the group stormed into the entrance area, firing on the unsuspecting guards. Solin and Elocin ignited their lightsabers; Solin was slightly taken aback by the orange blade that sprung from Elocin's lightsaber but had no time to dwell on it. Together, Solin and Elocin cut down several of the guards as King Mobbs and his entourage handled the rest. Within seconds, they had cleared the entrance.

"That's only the beginning!" King Mobbs declared. "They may have been easy to defeat, but we have no idea what awaits us in the palace. Onward!"

King Mobbs pressed a button, which opened the door to the palace. Immediately, a handful of guards came running toward the group. Solin and Elocin deflected the laser bolts, which took down the guards. Once the guards were down, they proceeded inside.

Nearly every room of the palace had soldiers of the Army of Malastare waiting for the group to arrive. While they were huge in numbers, they were overwhelmed by the combined forces of Solin and Elocin, and Keira's Battle Meditation; thanks to Keira's powers, the group remained inspired to keep fighting at all costs and did not wear down from the physicality of the battle. In one room, they stumbled upon several palace guards who were imprisoned under heavy watch. Within moments, the soldiers in that room had been taken down and the imprisoned guards were able to retrieve weapons and join the entourage.

"We seem to have had it easy thus far," Solin said as the imprisoned guards regrouped and checked their weapons. He and Elocin and just deactivated their lightsabers, but kept them held. "How close are we to getting to the throne room?"

"The next hallway will take us straight there," King Mobbs replied. "We could be just moments away from capturing General Nute and forcing him to surrender. Is everyone ready?" The rest of the group except for the Jedi cheered. "Then let's go!"

They left that room and walked toward the next hallway. Suddenly, Solin could feel a strong dark presence close by and tightened his grip on his lightsaber. He was not surprised when they turned down the hallway leading to the throne room and saw a hooded figure standing in the center of it, blocking their path. They stopped short of the figure, each of the guards pointing their weapons at the figure.

"State your business!" Ngema demanded, sounding more confident than Solin sensed from her. "You are blocking the King of Ord Mantell and -"

She stopped speaking as the figured lowered their hood and she realized it was Vulcan, looking utterly pleased. Solin and Elocin stepped forward, tossing aside their cloaks as they did.

"We'll handle this," Solin said to King Mobbs, who nodded at him.

"We'll take the long way," said King Mobbs as he and his entourage turned and walked away. Once they were gone, Nacluv lowered his hood, tossed his cloak to the side and ignited his lightsaber. Solin and Elocin imitated him.

"You got lucky the last time, old friend," Nacluv said with a manic look in his face. "But, even with a Jedi Master assisting you, you won't stand a chance against the power of the Dark Side! And once I'm finished dealing with you, I will capture King Mobbs and this planet will remain under control of Malastare and the Sith!"

"An empty threat means nothing, even coming from you, Vulcan," Solin retorted. "Your reliance on the Dark Side of the Force will be your undoing."

"We will see," Nacluv snarled before he leapt forward and attacked Solin, who easily blocked his attack. Elocin then made to counterattack, but Nacluv blocked it before pushing her away slightly.

It was the most ferocious duel Solin had ever participated in. Even with Elocin's strong abilities working with his, they could still not get an advantage over Nacluv. Luckily, Nacluv was also not able to get an advantage over them, either; he was having to exert all of his energy on holding back Solin and Elocin, and couldn't find an opening for several minutes. Suddenly, he was able to block an attack from Solin and before he could react, Nacluv managed to land a kick on Solin, sending him to the ground.

Nacluv then focused on Elocin. Despite her years of training, Elcon began to wear down slightly as she and Nacluv dueled; she had never faced an adversary as powerful as Nacluv. Within seconds, they had entered a lightsaber lock, each holding their ground and attempting to use the Force to remain steady. Suddenly, Nacluv broke the lock and was able to slice on Elocin's left arm. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground as Nacluv laughed and turned back to face Solin, who had recovered from the kick.

Solin kept up a fierce counterattack against Nacluv, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Sith Lord. Despite knowing all of Nacluv's favorite moves from his days as a Jedi, Solin was unable to defend against the barrage of attacks by Nacluv and began to wear down from exhaustion. Nacluv seemed to sense this and redoubled his attacks. Within seconds, he held up a hand and blasted Force Lightning at Solin, who was unable to block it. Solin fell to the ground, convulsing in pain and losing his lightsaber in the process.

Nacluv laughed loudly as he raised his lightsaber to deliver the killing blow. He stopped when he heard a woman shout behind him.

"NO!" Keira shouted as she leapt toward Nacluv, igniting her own lightsaber and bringing it down to attack Nacluv, who managed to block her strike. He pushed Keira back with his weight, but she recovered quickly. Nacluv cackled as he looked at Keira and could see the fire in her eyes.

"How sweet: a young apprentice comes to rescue her precious, Master," he mused. "Well, you may be another Jedi, young one, but you don't stand a chance against me."

"Your words mean nothing if you can't live you to the reputation you hope to have," Keira snarled and she hurried forward and attacked Nacluv, which forced Nacluv back. Nacluv sneered at Keira, annoyed that he would have to take care of her first, but basking in the glory of killing three Jedi.

* * *

King Mobbs paused his entourage just outside the rear entrance to the throne room. They had managed to cut through several more waves of guards, all without suffering any casualties. But, King Mobbs could feel the sense of confidence ebbing away slightly; he knew that met Keira was no longer using her Battle Meditation and had entered the palace to assist them in-person.

"Well, everyone, we've made it this far," he said, his confidence remaining despite the loss of Keira's influence. "It seemed unlikely, but we've been able to do it, even without the help of the Jedi on this side of the palace. This is all that's left. But if it's our time to die, then we can do nothing about it, but ensure we take as many of these Malastare cowards with us! Let's go!"

The entourage cheered as King Mobbs pressed the button to open the throne room door. Everyone hurried in, firing upon the unprepared soldiers guarding General Nute and Lieutenant Silas. Within moments, each of the soldiers had been dispatched and only the General remained with his Lieutenant. Captain Menousek and another guard held them at gunpoint.

"Jam the doors!" Captain Menousek ordered. Two guards obeyed his command.

"Now, General Nute, you will have to answer for your actions with this blockade and invasion," King Mobbs declared. "I doubt you'll get leniency from the Senate."

"Don't be so confident, Your Majesty," General Nute retorted, trying to sound angry even though he felt nothing but fear. "Lord Nacluv, the Dark Lord of the Sith, is here now and once he's done dealing with your Jedi friends, he will free us from this room and take you hostage and force you to legitimize our occupation of this planet."

"I wouldn't count on it, General," said Ngema before King Mobbs could reply. "I believe your Lord Nacluv will be forced to flee from this planet before he can defeat our friends. It's as if I can see it happening right now."

* * *

Nacluv was taken aback by Keira's dueling abilities. He was forced to admit to himself that none of his apprentices lived up to her skills, and that they matched and even outpaced his own. But he did not dwell on it, focusing on trying to get an upper hand in the duel, which was proving more and more difficult as Keira kept up her barrage. Eventually, Keira was able to push Nacluv away with her body weight. When he recovered from his stumbling, Nacluv lowered his lightsaber, keeping it held.

"You've done well, young one," he said, trying to change tactics. "Your skills are impressive and would serve you well as a Sith. Join me as my apprentice and you will be awarded above all of my apprentices!"

"Save your breath," Keira replied, scowling at Nacluv but not letting her anger cloud her judgment. "I will never become a slave of the Dark Side!"

Nacluv laughed as he lunged forward to attack Keira again. Before he could, he was forced back by a powerful Force Wave. As he regained balance, Nacluv looked up and saw Solin standing up again, holding his green lightsaber in his hands.

"YOU!" Nacluv screamed, deactivating his lightsaber and tossing it onto his belt. "I WILL KILL YOU AND THE REST OF YOU JEDI SCUM!"

Nacluv sent a powerful burst of Force Lighting at Solin and Keira, who were both ready and held up their lightsabers to block the attack. They strained under the effort, but their combined abilities made it so they could approach Nacluv slowly and force him to release less lightning to prevent injury to himself.

Just as Solin and Keira reached Nacluv and were about to attack him together, Nacluv let out a bellow of fury as he sent an incredibly powerful Force Wave through the room, sending Solin and Keira to their feet and shattering all of the windows surrounding them.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, SOLIN!" Nacluv screamed. "WE'LL MEET AGAIN!"

Solin and Keira were stunned long enough that by the time they recovered, Nacluv had disappeared without a trace. They stood up just as Ngema came running down the hallway and Elocin stood up, nursing her arm.

"Are you all right?" Solin demanded as they walked toward Elocin.

"I'll be fine," Elocin replied. "Are you two OK?"

Solin nodded.

"I'm all right," Keira said. "A little tired from that duel, but I'll recover in no time."

"Where did Nacluv go?" Ngema asked. "We were able to corner General Nute and his lieutenant and they're being detained now. I could almost see Nacluv being forced to flee as if it were happening right in front of me even though I was in the throne room."

"Then you were unconsciously using the Force," Elocin said, sounding happy. "If the Force flows through you like that, you are most certainly ready to be admitted to the Jedi Order."

Ngema's face lit up.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. Elocin nodded at her, smiling. "I would be honored!"


	9. Celebration

Solin, Keira, Elocin and Ngema stood before the Jedi Council in the Throne Room. A day had passed since the Battle of Ord Mantell and the capture of General Nute and Lieutenant Silas. As soon as they had surrendered, King Mobbs had contacted the Republic, which sent Senator Jear and the Council to the planet to oversee the leaders of the Army of Malastare being taken into Republic custody.

"You all have done well," Sabe said, sounding pleased. "Elocin, my dear, it is good to see the years have remained kind to you and that you can still hold your own in battle. I knew you could, but it was nice to see it through the Force."

"You're too kind, my friend," Elocin replied, smiling, as she took her seat in the Council.

"Now, because of your actions during this liberation, the people of Ord Mantell are indebted to the three of you," Sabe said to Solin, Keira and Ngema. "And because you took on this task and completed it as required, you are to be rewarded. Solin, my old apprentice, I am happy to tell you that you have been promoted to the rank of Jedi Master. Keira, you have proven yourself worthy as a Jedi. Therefore, we will grant you the rank of Jedi Knight and not subject you to the traditional Jedi Trials.

"As for you, young Ngema, we are proud to welcome you into the Jedi Order, and we are glad to inform you that Keira here will serve as your master."

Solin, Keira and Ngema bowed politely, all of them beaming. Once they had straightened back up, Sabe continued.

"Now, to the matter of utmost importance: The Senate has voted to create an Army of the Republic to counter any threat posed by Malastare or its allies," he said, sounding much more serious. "Shortly after you all left Coruscant, the Senate received intelligence that revealed plans were put into place before the blockade and invasion here on Ord Mantell to do the same to other planets. Because of that, the Senate voted to create the Army and its first priority will be to investigate the planets in the report and liberate them if needed."

"The Jedi Order will be tasked with advising the Army of the Republic," added Master Park. "Although we will serve the Army in that capacity, the Council has agreed for the Jedi Order not to directly insert itself into battle. The one stipulation will be if the Army determines that Dark Jedi, or these so-called Sith are on the planets being investigated. Do you all understand?"

Solin, Keira and Ngema nodded before Solin spoke.

"When will this begin? The investigation of the planets?"

"As soon as the Army has gathered enough troopers to successfully counter Malastare or its allies," Master Park replied. "The Army will be all-voluntary, but the Senate remains confident in its hope that enough soldiers will see the threat posed by Malastare, its allies and Dark Jedi and rise to the occasion. The Senate ended its session shortly after the vote and each member of Congress is returning to their respective planets in order inform their constituents of the pending conflict."

"And what of the leaders of Malastare?" asked Keira. "Not just the General and his immediate team, but their representatives in the Senate?"

"Their rights have been temporarily suspended until they can be tried by the Senate," said Sabe. "Malastare will not have a vote in the Senate as long as its leaders are on trial. Now then, if there are no further questions, we will adjourn for now and prepare to join King Mobbs and the rest of Ord Mantell in celebration of the planet's liberation.

* * *

Solin sat by himself at the bar, holding his drink in his hand. Though he felt pride in having been promoted to Jedi Master, he felt lost. He had not served in the Jedi Order without a companion, either a master or apprentice, since his days as a Jedi Initiate. He also couldn't help but have a feeling of dread, despite the happy mood of the victory celebration happening around him. Members of the Royal Palace were engaged in celebration, dancing wildly around the palace, while the Jedi Council stood by rather awkwardly, watching the dancing and nodding along to the music playing. Solin grinned at the sight, but could not shake his bad feeling.

Keira glanced over at Solin and could sense his thoughts. She turned to Ngema, who was wearing a brand new set of Jedi robes that were magenta, just as her battle clothes.

"I'll be right back," she said. Ngema nodded at her and turned to watch the celebration as Keira walked over to Solin.

"Hey, you OK, Master?" Keir asked as she sat down next to Solin.

"You know, you don't have to call me 'Master,'" Solin said with a grin. "Now that you're not my apprentice, Keira."

"Fine," Keira said with a snort. "Are you OK, Solin? Wow, it feels weird actually calling you by name."

"Join the club," Solin replied, chuckling.

"But are you OK?"

"I don't know, Keira." Solin sighed as he put down his cup. "I just can't believe what's happened to Vulcan. And after seeing him yesterday, I can't help but feel as if he is beyond redemption. It was like the friend I knew all those years ago was gone forever."

Keira put a hand on Solin's arm, trying to comfort him.

"You mustn't give up hope, Solin," she said soothingly. "Just yesterday you gave that speech about hope and how you can't just look for it in the sunlight. You've got to have hope that Vulcan can be redeemed. Besides, you've always told me that nobody is ever really gone. Vulcan is still out there, somewhere."

Solin sighed as he smiled at Keira. "You always know how to make me feel better, Keira," he said, patting Keira's hand. "You're right, of course. You always are, even when I tried to tell you otherwise when I was training you."

Keira grinned at him. "You see, Solin? If you just remember that, you'll be all right."


End file.
